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Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Genealogy, History & Facts
County Vital Records ∣ County Census Records ∣ County Courthouse and Government Records ∣
County Societies, Family History Resources and County Genealogy Links
Berkshire County, Massachusetts Facts
When was Berkshire County, MA Created?
Berkshire County was founded on April 21, 1761 from Hampshire County.
What is the County Seat of Berkshire County, MA?
The County Seat is located in Pittsfield and the county government was abolished on July 1, 2000
What counties are adjacent to Berkshire County, MA?
Bordering Counties are Bennington County, Vermont, Franklin County, Hampshire County, Hampden County, Litchfield County, Connecticut, Columbia County, New York, Rensselaer County, New York.
Berkshire County, MA Vital Records
Where can find Berkshire County Birth, marriage, Divorce and Death Records?
Berkshire County vital records can be found at the Massachusetts Office of Vital Records has copies of birth, marriage, divorce and death records. There is a fee for each copy requested. Please refer to the information to the Statewide Vital Records in Massachusetts for current fees and application process. Vital Records have been registered in Massachusetts since 1635. Statewide collection began in 1841. There is a fee for each copy requested. Records for events that occurred from 1841-1910 are available at the State Archives.
Berkshire County Town Clerks has copies of vital records (birth, marriage, divorce and death records). Clerks respond to inquiries regarding vital records, since most have indexes available.
You can search online for Berkshire County Birth, Marriage, Divorce or Death Records. You can also Order Electronically Online or can download an application for Massachusetts Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Death Certificate Applications to mail.
- Vital records of Williamstown, Massachusetts, to the year 1850
- Vital records of Otis, Massachusetts, to the year 1850
- Vital records of Windsor, Massachusetts, to the year 1850
- Vital records of West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, to the year 1850
- Vital records of Lee, Massachusetts, 1777-1801 : from the records of the town Congregational Church
- Vital records of Richmond, Massachusetts to the year 1850
- Vital records of Peru, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849
- Vital records of Tyringham, Massachusetts to the year 1850
- Vital records of Hinsdale, Massachusetts to the year 1850
- Vital records of Becket, Massachusetts to the year 1850
- Vital records of Great Barrington, Massachusetts to the year 1850
- Vital records of Dalton, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1850
- Vital records of Washington, Massachusetts to the year 1850
- Vital records of New Ashford, Massachusetts to the year 1850
- U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
- Social Security Death Index
- USGenweb Archives Massachusetts Marriage Project
- Early Vital Records of Massachusetts, From 1600 to 1850
- Massachusetts, State Vital Records, 1841-1920
- Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Towns Records, 1579-2001
- Massachusetts Vital Records Index Pre-1850
- Massachusetts Vital Record Transcripts, 1620-1849
- Massachusetts Vital Records, 1620-1915
- Massachusetts Vital Records Index 1841-1895
- Massachusetts, Births and Christenings, 1639-1915
- Massachusetts, Births, 1841-1915
- Massachusetts, Marriages, 1695-1910
- Massachusetts, Marriages, 1841-1915
- Massachusetts, Death Index, 1970-2003
- Massachusetts, Deaths and Burials, 1795-1910
- Massachusetts, Deaths, 1841-1915
Berkshire County, MA Census Records
What Berkshire County, MA census records are available?
There are many types of census records for Berkshire County guide you in researching your family tree. Federal Population Schedules are available for 1790-1890, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940.
Berkshire Co. Mortality Schedules can be obtained for 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Berkshire Co. Industry and Agriculture Schedules can be found for 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Berkshire Co. Union Veterans Schedules can be found for 1890.
Massachusetts state censuses exist for the years 1855 and 1865. There is free down-loadable and also printable census forms to help you with your research. See Also Massachusetts Census Records Research Guide
Berkshire County, MA Courthouse and Government Records
What genealogical records can I find in the Berkshire County Courthouse?
Researchers frequently overlook the great importance of Berkshire County court, probate, and land records data as a useful resource of ancestry and genealogy information. Buried away in Massachusetts courthouses and archives everywhere are the ambitions and frustrations of countless Massachusetts residents.
The possibilities are excellent that your forefathers have left a comprehensive document of at least a number of facets of their lives in the Berkshire County court records. Even if your forebears is not referred to in a Court case, contemplate all of the other procedures that could have lead to him or her to appear in court records. See Also Massachusetts Corthouse Records Research Guide.
- Berkshire County Register of Deeds
- Land Records: 1761
- Berkshire County Clerk of Probate Court
- Address: 44 Bank Row, Pittsfield, MA 01201
- Phone: (413) 442-6941
- Probate Records: 1761
- Berkshire County Clerk of Courts
- Address: 76 East Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201
- Phone: (413) 499-7487
- Court Records: 1761
- Records of the Town of Lee from its incorporation to A.D. 1801 : all the extant records of the town clerks, town treasurers, Ho
- New Ashford, Massachusetts Land Owners, 1842-1900
- Massachusetts Name Changes, 1780-1892
- BLM Land Records
Berkshire County, MA Societies and Family History Resources
What genealogical and historical societies, archives, museums, associations and libraries are available for Berkshire County, MA?
A list of Berkshire County Historical and Genealogical Societies, Libraries, Archives. See also list of Statewide Massachusetts Archives, Historical & Genealogical Societies.
- Berkshire County Historical Society, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield MA 01201; Telephone (413) 442-1793
- Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02215
- State Archives Building, 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA 02125
Where can I connect with other Berkshire County, MA Researchers through message boards and forums?
- https://www.archives.gov/research/census
- Massachusetts Genealogy Community (plus.google.com)
- Massachusetts State Genealogy Network (facebook.com)
- Berkshire County, Massachusetts Message Boards (boards.ancestry.com)
- Berkshire County, Massachusetts Genealogy Forum (genforum.genealogy.com)
What other genealogical resources are available in Berkshire County, MA?
The following are web links to Genealogy, Records and Resources pertaining to Berkshire County. A lot of these genealogy links fall into 3 categories: Business oriented Sites, Personal Sites or Organization Sites. Some have free access some call for a cost. This is just a collection which has been compiled or submitted. I do not recommend or promote one genealogy site above another.
Berkshire Co. MA Books, Newspapers & Publications
- Massachusetts Newspapers Books & Publications Research Guide
- Massachusetts historical newspaper archives online (newspapers.com)
- Historical Newspapers from Massachusetts (1690 – 1992) (genealogybank.com)
- North Adams Transcript (North Adams, Massachusetts) (search.ancestry.com)
- Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) (search.ancestry.com)
- Berkshire Evening Eagle, The (Pittsfield, Berkshire, Massachusetts) (search.ancestry.com)
- Berkshire County Eagle, The (Pittsfield, Berkshire, Massachusetts) (search.ancestry.com)
- Berkshire County, Massachusetts Books (amazon.com)
- Search Massachusetts Obituaries (1985 to current) (genealogybank.com)
- Berkshire County Genealogy Books (books.google.com)
Berkshire Co. MA Cemeteries & Church Records
- Massachusetts Cemetery Research Guide
- Gravestone inscriptions, Lee, Mass. : including all extant of the quarter century 1801-1825. (search.ancestry.com)
- Berkshire Co., Massachusetts Graves (findagrave.com)
- Berkshire County Tombstone Transcription Project (usgwtombstones.org)
- Berkshire Co., Massachusetts Cemeteries (Internment.net)
- Berkshire Co., Massachusetts Cemetery Books (amazon.com)
- Massachusetts Church & Bible Research Guide
- First Church in Pittsfield (search.ancestry.com)
- Berkshire County, Massachusetts Church Books (amazon.com)
Berkshire Co. MA Family Websites, Pictures & Histories
- Massachusetts Family Group Sheet Project (fgs-project.com)
- Massachusetts Pioneers (search.ancestry.com)
Berkshire Co. MA General and History Websites
- See Also State History for Massachusetts
- Berkshire County, Massachusetts Wikipedia (wikipedia.org)
- A history of the county of Berkshire, Massachusetts, in two parts: The first being a general view of the county; the second, an account of the several towns (Google eBook)
- Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of Berkshire County, Massachusetts (search.ancestry.com)
- Williamstown and Williams College : a history (search.ancestry.com)
- The history of Pittsfield (Berkshire County) Massachusetts : from the year 1800 to the year 1876 (search.ancestry.com)
- Origins in Williamstown (search.ancestry.com)
- The history of Pittsfield (Berkshire County) Massachusetts : from the year 1734 to the year 1800 (search.ancestry.com)
- Village, Section or Neighborhood Names of Massachusetts Communities (sec.state.ma.us)
- Berkshire County, Massachusetts Wiki (familysearch.org)
- Berkshire Co. MA Genealogy (kindredtrails.com)
- Family History Library (familysearch.org)
- Berkshire County, Massachusetts (linkpendium.com)
- Cyndi’s List – United States – Massachusetts – Counties – Berkshire (cyndislist.com)
- Berkshire County Massachusetts (genealogytrails.com)
- Berkshire Co. MAGenweb (rootsweb.ancestry.com)
- Berkshire County Genealogy Queries (cousinconnect.com)
- Berkshire Co. Data Collections (search.ancestry.com)
Berkshire Co. MA Maps, Atlases & Gazetteers
- See Also Map of Massachusetts Links and Information
- 1895 Berkshire County Map (livgenmi.com)
Berkshire Co. MA Military Records
- Massachusetts Military Records Research Guide
- Massachusetts Military Records (fold3.com) will provide access to military records, stories, photos, and personal documents of the Massachusetts women and men which served. Perfect for Berkshire County genealogists, researchers, historians and much more.
Berkshire Co. MA Schools & Directories
- Massachusetts City Directories (search.ancestry.com) This database is a collection of city directories for various years and cities in Massachusetts. Generally a city directory will contain an alphabetical list of its citizens, listing the names of the heads of households, their addresses, and occupational information.
- Pittsfield, Massachusetts Directories, 1889-93 (search.ancestry.com)
- Adams and North Adams, Massachusetts Directories, 1887, 1889-90, 1890-93 (search.ancestry.com)
- North Adams, Massachusetts Directories, 1887, 1890-93 (search.ancestry.com)
- Lee, Massachusetts Directory 1890 (search.ancestry.com)
- Great Barrington, Massachusetts Directory, 1894 (search.ancestry.com)